


Inadequacy

by ArceusTheCat



Category: Ookiku Furikabutte | Big Windup!
Genre: A big OOF moment happens in, A completely different anime, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Can be romantic or platonic, Don't you love it when, Gore, Kinda, M/M, Nightmares, Self-Esteem Issues, Songfic, That inspires you to hurt a poor baby?, That's what happened here!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2018-10-03
Packaged: 2019-07-24 18:07:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16180400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArceusTheCat/pseuds/ArceusTheCat
Summary: Mihashi is forced to take down a quite literal representation of his own inadequacy.Based off of The Inadequacy fight in Old School RuneScape.





	Inadequacy

**Author's Note:**

> This has to be the most graphic thing I've written since my roleplaying days on Tumblr with a chaotic-evil OC. Tread carefully if you are not OK with gore or violence.
> 
> This is kinda a songfic to [The Inadequacy ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kijnNYZVxg4) from Old School RuneScape/RuneScape 2. It's kinda a songfic in that I was inspired by both the boss fight and its music while writing this, along with a BIG OOF moment in another anime.

Ren Mihashi has always had nightmares and sometimes even night terrors, so it’s little surprise to him when that night greets him with a gross pale purple platform in the middle of void with some kind of creature on it. This nightmare world slowly comes into focus and he can make out the creature.

It’s nothing short of a monstrosity.

It towers above him, maybe four times his height. It’s a disgusting sort of red, like dried blood. Its body is an amorphous blob with clawed tentacles and pincers all over. It bears the melting faces of his so-called teammates and right above them is a gaping mouth with massive teeth. One more head is perched on the top… his catcher’s. The top head also has long white horns, matching the fangs and pincers.

The monstrosity roared through the central mouth. It had noticed him. He yelped and tried to run away, only to be pierced by spears of darkness. It hurt awfully and more were coming. He had to try to avoid them, somehow. He kept on running and the monster kept on attacking.

Something new then slithered in. It was a snake-like creature, with the same massively oversized fangs as the main beast and claws. Its face was so distorted that it was impossible to tell who it was, even if everything else about the face looked human.

They began to attack not only with claws, but thoughts.

Will I ever become anything more than a parasite?

If I do, could I repay the debt I owe the world caused by my meaningless existence?

Will I ever be fast enough, strong enough, good enough to deserve the mound?

_Can_ I be enough?

Just as a claw and shadow spear connect simultaneously, he’s saved by the alarm going off. Tomorrow has come.

-()-

As expected, this is the last game of middle school. He fails his team horribly yet again. Could he even call them his team, when there was not an ounce of trust to be had? They lost and it was all his fault. His best isn’t nearly good enough.

So, he runs away.

Maybe in another school they wouldn’t know how pathetic he is? Maybe they’d even let him play? Unlikely but he can’t walk away like this. He still wants to play, despite his glaring inadequacy.

-()-

The new school just got a baseball team. It’s all first-years like him. The coach and advisor look so kind… but he knows it’s only a matter of time before this team hates him, too.

That’s the thing that sucks about being him.

He wants to be better. He wants to deserve his place! He also knows that he can’t be anything more than a failure. So every day he goes out and throws until he bleeds and can’t breathe in the tiny chance that he might improve the slightest bit.

The catcher’s face goes pale when they begin the meditation exercise.

Is he so terrible that he can _feel_ the failure radiating off of him?

That has to be it. There’s no other explanation for such a reaction from a scary-looking guy like him. This year is going to be no different from the last. The minute that they find another pitcher, he’s going to get kicked off the team with prejudice.

After practice he runs home to the makeshift net to throw. His only friend for years now. It’s only natural that in between quiet sobs and pinpoint throws, he doesn’t notice that he has an audience.

That night he has the same nightmare monster attack. Now it’s armed with the screeching, melting and twisted faces of the new team. On the top is that catcher. Abe. He has the most terrifying scowl that he’s ever seen. Ice runs through his veins as he finds himself paralyzed, not even able to hold up an arm to defend himself against the spiked tentacles. Time and again they strike and rip flesh.

Blood begins pooling and he still can’t move. His eyes are glued to the catcher’s disappointment and anger. He came here to play baseball and how is he supposed to do that with such a garbage pitcher?

This time the doubt-creatures aren’t summoned. That piercing gaze is more than enough to instill the terror.

Even on a completely new team of some no-name school, he’s not nearly good enough to be a gofer.

The tentacles then begin a more sinister torture akin to the medieval rack. They grab one bloodied limb after another and begin to pull. The pain is excruciating. He cries out for help…

But nobody came.

Nobody ever will.

Nobody cares about such a miserable failure.

He wakes with a stifled scream at four in the morning. He’s grateful that his mother is such a sound sleeper. He doesn’t want to talk about this nightmare _ever._

-()-

Helpless. Pathetic. Useless. Wasteful.

All these words and more constantly churn in his head at classes. By the time practice comes around, he’s exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally. The catcher’s sharp and spots this right away. He cringes, pulling his arms over his head to try and fend off the barrage of hits that is no doubt coming.

But nothing happens. They both stand there completely still. It looks like there’s something he wants to say but the whistle is blown to gather them together for the meditation session before practice.

One again, he sits right next to Mihashi. His presence is as big and scary as before. He hesitates, forcing the catcher to grab his hand and drag it away from his body. They’re both ice-cold.

Why is he cold? He’s so clearly leagues above the rest of the team, even though they’ve only had a single practice. Someone like that should be confident since they can take down titans on their own!

No. He’s not worried about his own performance. He’s worried about the pitiful excuse of a pitcher he had to get paired up with. Mihashi’s head sinks lower at the realization. He pulls his legs into himself and would’ve completely curled up if not for the catcher’s strong grip on his hand.

Why won’t he let Mihashi run away?

-()-

Practice goes… better than expected. He’s still slow and complete trash but at least he can throw directly to the mit, right? That’s a little bit of hope! That’s something to latch onto! That glimmer of success is enough. He runs home to continue practice and again misses the eyes watching him as he bandages another blister that popped open while throwing.

That night is blissfully silent for once. With no nightmares to disturb him, he’s able to sleep soundly.

-()-

The peaceful feeling doesn’t last long. There’s a practice game coming up where his flaws will be plain for everyone to see. He lets out a little shriek at the announcement. Of course practice games are far more valuable training than regular practice but that also means the stakes and expectations are much higher. Everyone will hate him.

Then something unexpected happens. The catcher reaches out to grab Mihashi’s hand. He’s so warm and strong… does he care?

No, no. Far too optimistic. He can’t play without Mihashi so of course he’s trying to keep him from self-destructing. Even if it is only for selfish reasons, the gesture means a whole lot to him. In middle school they never once cared, not even if it was to their benefit. It feels… amazing.

As usual, the catcher is quiet aside from giving directions, but that one touch said more than he’d ever heard in his entire athletic career.

Maybe, just maybe, this year would be better than last… Being a puppet is better than being an anchor. All he needs to do is follow the catcher. He’s seen plenty of Mihashi’s slow balls and yet he still cares. If he can trust someone as pathetic as him then he deserves the same.

Follow his lead and everything will be alright.

-()-

They won.

They won!

For the first time since he’s played baseball, his team won!

There’s little doubt that they would’ve done much better with well… anyone else at the mound… but they still won. Abe’s a genius to be able to pull this off!

So, the first thing he does is run up and latch on like a koala. Definitely not the best idea. Logic has completely abandoned him and so he acts on impulse.

Strangely, he takes it well. He only goes stiff for a second, probably bracing for the impact, but after that he wraps his arms around Mihashi like he’s a precious treasure.

It feels like he could fly into the heavens from sheer willpower alone.

-()-

That night, the monster changes form again. It’s now a Picassan nightmare with all the parts of a face present but all in the wrong places. It’s impossible to tell who the faces belong to as they drip into the amorphous main body. Tonight, he’s going to fight back.

Summoning all the courage he has, he runs up to the beast with clenched fists. He has the feeling that if he can kill it, it won’t haunt his sleep any longer. It’s a terrifying foe that he has to face, so that he can be rested for practice with Abe.

His fists harmlessly sink into the flesh of the monster. It has a nasty consistency, somewhere between diarrhea and jelly. It doesn’t react to his pitiful attack. A clawed tentacle begins its counterattack, ripping into his calf and tearing out a good chunk.

He can’t do anything against it as it slowly tears off chunks of his body like a rotisserie chicken.

-()-

Phantom pain lingers all though classes but somehow, seeing Abe nod a greeting makes it all go away.

-()-

Somehow, they’re winning. Game after game, they win. Still, one obstacle stands between Mihashi and a hopeful future.

His old team. They’re going to play them today. He’s stiff as a board and cold as ice as he spots them coming off the bus. As if sensing his unease, Abe grabs his hand to remind him that he’s not alone, not anymore. _Trust me._ he says wordlessly.

-()-

It isn’t even close by the time the game ends. It’s a complete shutout and called game. His old team stares at him in shock and awe. They come up with excuses and insults, but he can’t hear a single one. He’s too busy staring gratefully at Abe and Tajima for granting him this.

-()-

That night, the nightmare monster changes yet again. Where there were once heads, there’s only rainbow static, like a computer glitching out. It’s also been tethered to the edge of the strange lavender ground they stand on, floating through the void. There’s buckets of baseballs to his side. A voice - Abe’s - calls out for a curve right on the edge of the strike zone.

Mihashi nods. The ball flies with a satisfying crunch into the beast. It tries to retaliate with the shadow tendrils but they don’t hurt anymore. Together they’re taking down this monster. He throws and throws with all of his might, each hit making the monster roar out of its central mouth… until it disintegrates.

It’s gone. The frightening monster that he’s dubbed The Inadequacy is dead. Even if it comes back… he’s not fighting alone. He’s going to fight until he can be the pitcher that Abe deserves and nothing is getting in his way.

Yes, some of the doubts linger, with their awful jaws and claws, but they’re far weaker without their master.

For the first time in his life, Mihashi truly believes that he is enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Protip: The Inadequacy is super weak to magic, but also ranged! So that's where the idea of putting poor Mihashi though this came from. 
> 
> Can I just say that The Inadequacy has to be the coolest boss concept in the entirety of OSRS? Maybe not mechanically but it's _a literal manifestation of inadequacy_ and looks completely alien!


End file.
